Astronaut Sisters

Hold onto your juice boxes—everything floats in outer space! Set out for the stars in this warmhearted picture book ode to the transportive power of imagination.

Fern and Rosie are astronaut sisters, ready to sail miles above the clouds. They slip on their boots (space boots). They strap on their helmets (space helmets). They pretend the swingset can launch them into the stars, and they lie on the grass gazing up at the real ones. A big space station isn’t the only thing up there—while Fern and Rosie sleep in their rocket ship sleeping bags, their astronaut mom soars through the skies on her way back to earth. They’re more than astronaut sisters. They’re a whole astronaut family!

Julie Fortenberry’s Astronaut Sisters is both a heartfelt family tale and tender celebration of just how far our imaginations can take us, pairing warm and whimsical artwork with a sweet sibling relationship. The sisters’ touching reunion with their mother is sure to leave children and parents alike starry-eyed.The concise text creates a warm sibling relationship within a short timeframe. . . A child-friendly choice for reading aloud.
—Booklist

Light and playful.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

A joyous ode to the power of play, the bond between sisters, and the vital representation of women in STEM.
—Kirkus Reviews

A STEM-themed book whose emotional thrust feels credible and uncontrived.
—Publishers WeeklyJulie Fortenberry has an MFA from Hunter College. Her abstract paintings have been in exhibits at the Whitney Museum of American Art . She illustrated Eve Bunting’s Pirate Boy, and a series of Sydney Taylor Notable books by Rabbi Jamie Korngold. She is the author/ illustrator of Grandpa and Jake, Darcy's First Sleepover, Pearl Goes to Preschool, The Artist and the King, and Lily’s Cat Mask which received a Kirkus starred review and was added to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. She lives in Philadelphia.